Michael Weatherly, who has played Anthony DiNozzo for the past 13 seasons of NCIS, will leave the show at the end of this season.
Weatherly announced his departure in a series of Tweets saying “DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldn’t have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons” and “I will miss the amazing crew & cast, who are like family to me, & to the fans all over the world – THANK YOU, it’s been a fantastic ride!”
DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldn’t have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons pic.twitter.com/GR7YSsmsKJ
— Michael Weatherly (@M_Weatherly) January 5, 2016
Les Moonves & CBS gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/eqF5y6GSNw
— Michael Weatherly (@M_Weatherly) January 5, 2016
I will miss the amazing crew & cast, who are like family to me, & to the fans all over the world – THANK YOU, it’s been a fantastic ride!
— Michael Weatherly (@M_Weatherly) January 5, 2016
Weatherly was a founding actor of NCIS joined the show as Senior NCIS Special Agent Anthony ‘Tony’ DiNozzo in 2003. NCIS was a spin-off of JAG which ran for 10 seasons from 1995 after initially behind axed by NBC after one season, then picked up by CBS for its long run.
The DiNozzo character was a film nut, often placing pop culture references in his dialogue.
Michael Weatherly is also an occasional singer and contributed the song ‘Under The Sun’ to an NCIS soundtrack.
Weatherly’s first acting role was on The Cosby Show in 1991 as Theo’s roommate. He picked up occasional one-off roles in ‘Ally McBeal’ and ‘Charmed’ before being cast in JAG as Tony DiNozzo for two shows to set up the character for the NCIS spin-off.
FUN FACT: Weatherly also played the part of Robert Wagner in the ABC TV Movie ‘The Mystery of Natalie Wood’. The real Robert Wagner plays the father of Tony DiNozzo in NCIS.
A statement from CBS reads “After 13 years on NCIS, Michael Weatherly is leaving the show at the end of this season. He is a valued part of the CBS family, and the immense charm and talent he brings to the screen as ‘Very’ Special Agent Tony DiNozzo has helped make NCIS what it is today – the No. 1 drama in the world.
“We thank Michael for all of his contributions to this successful franchise,” the statement continues, “and look forward to continuing to develop projects.”
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